


Doubly Deviant

by witchyvirginia



Category: Killing Eve
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crime, F/F, Lesbian, Serial Killers, criminology, mind hunter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:20:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23895226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchyvirginia/pseuds/witchyvirginia
Summary: Dr Eve Polastri is an expert in what she does, and she loves it. She enjoys teaching, she managed to get her name out in the academia, and right now she is focused on working on her newest study diving deep into the mind, behaviour and motivations of female criminals. When Oksana Astankova, a notorious Russian serial killer is imprisoned in Monster Mansion, a British prison for the most dangerous offenders, Eve sees an opportunity to spice up her research with data that no one has ever retrieved. She has to be careful though, because the line between passion and obsession is incredibly thin, and Oksana might not necessarily be who Eve thinks she is.AKA a Mindhunter inspired Villaneve AU, because I got my criminology degree so I could write criminology-infused fan fictions. My teachers would be so proud...
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova, Villaneve - Relationship
Comments: 29
Kudos: 130





	1. Chapter 1

‘Grab your coat and recorder, we’re going’ Eve stormed into the office, grabbing her bag from the chair and looking at her research assistant, who sat confused at his desk. ‘Come on, Kenny. We don’t have the time for you to sit around!’ she exclaimed, pulling him up from the chair and pushing his coat into his hands.

‘Where are we going?’ he asked eventually, jogging after her through the building and out to the car park.

‘Wakefield’ she looked at him, smiling too excitedly above the roof of the car, before sitting behind the wheel and starting the engine. Kenny opened the door on the other side, pulled his seatbelt across his chest and looked at his boss.

‘OK, what’s in Wakefield, then?’ he asked again, and Eve sighed slightly resigned.

‘Jesus, Kenny. How did you get your degree if you can’t even think? We’re going to the Monster Mansion’ she exclaimed again, sending him a wide smile.

‘Monster Mansion? Isn’t that a male prison?’ the more questions he asked, the less answers he actually seemed to get from her. Or at least once that made any sense.

‘Yes, it is’ she answered with the same smile, and Kenny was actually worried she hit her head during her lunch break, because she looked and behaved like she was losing her mind.

‘Isn’t your research about female murderers?’ he continued, looking at Eve carefully when she, luckily, kept her eyes on the road.

‘Yes, it is’ she gave him the same, unhelpful answer, before bending backwards trying to reach something from the back seat.

‘OK, no, Eve. EVE! Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, please’ Kenny reacted, and she obediently listened. Sometimes he wandered if he was really her research assistant, or just someone to keep her grounded amongst the madness and genius of her mind.

‘There’s a file somewhere there. Get it, read it’ she explained and he turned back, finding it on the floor. He started reading, before she interrupted him. ‘Read it out loud!’

‘Oksana Astankova, 27 years old, Russian serial killer…’ he looked at Eve as if he couldn’t believe his eyes and found her with a very satisfied expression.

‘Oksana Astankova, she’s a Russian serial killer. An actual female murderer. Just three hours away from us.’ She couldn’t contain her excitement, her hands were drumming all over the wheel, and her eyes sparked with joy. In all six months working with her, Kenny had never seen her like that.

‘Why is she in Wakefield, though?’ he asked, closing the file but keeping it on his lap.

‘No one else would have her. She killed 12 people, or at least that’s the number we can certainly link with her. All men, most of them of questionable morals, but that doesn’t really matter. She was considered too violent for any of the women’s prisons in Britain, so they put her in Murder Mansion. Separate from the men, obviously, although I presume it’s for their own good…’ she chuckled to herself, shaking her head gently.

‘I have to ask, Eve… Did you clear that with Carolyn? Does she know we’re going to talk to her?’ the last thing Kenny wanted was to cross their department head, but something told him he already knew the answer to his question.

‘Don’t worry about Carolyn, I’ll sort it out’ she dismissed him, not really helping his concerns go away.

‘Ok, that’s a no then… cool. Great’ he murmured and rested his head on the head rest.

Eve was in seven heaven. She felt like she was walking on air. When the phone call came in during her lunch, she actually screamed from excitement, bringing the attention of all other customers to herself. She left the half-eaten sandwich on the table, gulped down her coffee and ran back to the office, actually not being able to believe that after going through archival documents related to most well-known female murderers, reading the interviews and reviewing what’s already been written, she had a female serial killer on her own, ready to be interviewed, ready to spice up her research with some original data. 3 hours just felt like too long of a drive, but it also gave her time to think. Prepare. How was she like? What did she think? How did she react to prison? There were so many things she wanted to ask her, and Eve could already tell that one interview wouldn’t be enough.

‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Kenny brought her thoughts back to the car. They were almost there, and she felt her heart speeding up with every road sign pointing in the right direction.

‘Mad. Bad. A lesbian vampire. A whore. What do they all have in common?’ she answered with a question, not taking her eyes off the road this time. She could see in the corner of her eye Kenny hesitating with the answer.

‘I don’t know… they sound negative?’ he attempted to answer.

‘They were all used to refer to female killers. Myra Hindley. Tracey Wigginton. Catherine Birnie. Even Maxine Carr. We all know about their crimes, but what do we really know about them? The media just paint them as crazy, evil, influenced by men. They have no agency over their crimes. They are blamed for them, yes, but they are always framed as if there was something else that made them do it’ she explained, not even trying to conceal herself from getting agitated. This was what she loved. Crime, criminals, theory of crime. And, even more than that, she loved female criminals, because there was always something unexplored and untold about them. ‘And you know why’s that, Kenny?’ she posed another question, remembering that, after all, he was there to learn from her. Yes, he was her assistant and sometimes she doubted how he managed to secure a place at Oxford, but how well he did in the future would always somehow reflect on her. Her name was already quite well known in the academia, and she wanted it to stay that way. Kenny remained silent, shaking his head and instead of trying to come up with an answer.

‘It’s because people don’t believe, or don’t want to believe, that women are capable of violence. Not to the same extent that men are. Women are supposed to be gentle and caring. We’re supposed to have motherly instincts. The worse crime that a woman could ever commit is a crime against a child, because it goes against everything the society believes a woman should be. But it’s never her fault – she’s always manipulated by a man, or is mentally ill, is evil or a lesbian. When a woman commits a violent crime, there is always something that explains it. When a man commits a violent crime, no one is really surprised, because violence is somehow implied in how masculinity is thought about. And even more than that – violent women are not just punished for their crimes, they’re punished for breaking the stereotypes society has ascribed to femininity’ Eve smiled triumphantly, parking her car at the prison parking. She unbuckled her seat and turned to look at Kenny. ‘We’re here to get Oksana’s story. We’re here to listen to what she has to say about her own crimes. No judgement. No prejudice. This can be huge, Kenny. This can set us above all those pricks from British Criminology Society.’ She had fire in her eyes, and Kenny couldn’t help but slowly start sharing her enthusiasm.

Eve led the way to the prison entrance, with Kenny following closely behind carrying Oksana’s files and a voice recorder.

‘Hi, I’m dr Eve Polastri from Oxford University. I was scheduled for an interview with one of your inmates’ Eve said to the security guard sitting behind the desk. She smiled politely while the guard looked her up and down before handing them two note pads with pens. They both quickly filled their details, receiving the visitor passes in exchange.

‘Wait here’ the guard murmured and disappeared behind the door. Eve looked to Kenny, who suddenly got strangely white in his face.

‘Are you afraid?’ she whispered, surprised by his reaction, considering that she herself was overwhelmingly excited. Kenny swallowed, looking around the small room they were standing in. It was pretty grim, with paint peeling off the walls and metal gates guarding the door – one as the exit, the other as the entrance into the main buildings.

‘No, not at all’ he answered eventually, but the shake in his voice betrayed him.

‘It’s going to be OK. Just sit next to me, don’t say anything and do as I say’ she patted his shoulder right when another man appeared on the other side of the gate. The buzzing sound cut through the air and the gate opened.

‘Dr Polastri, so nice to see you in person!’ the suit-wearing gentleman smiled and reached out his hand. Eve stepped forward to shake it, returning the smile.

‘Likewise, governor Steal.’

‘Please, call me Jerry. And who’s that fella?’ he pointed at Kenny standing a step behind Eve.

‘That’s my assistant, Kenny’ the governor reached out his hand and Kenny shook it as well, nodding his head towards the man.

‘Right, before we go in. We’ll have to walk through the main wing, some of the prisoners may shout at you, they may be rude and inappropriate, but it’s best to just ignore them. As you probably know, Oksana Astankova is currently kept in isolation, for her and other prisoners’ safety, until we can find a way of accommodating her more… comfortably. We set up a visitation room in the other building for your use because its quieter than here. There will be guards in the room with you at all times and Oksana will be handcuffed to the table. She hasn’t exhibited any violence either during her arrest, her arrival here or through the last couple days she’s been here, but we have to take these precautions just in case. Any questions?’ Jerry looked to Eve and she shook her head, giving Kenny an uplifting smile. The governor waved at the guard, who opened the gate and they followed him down the corridor towards the main building, accompanied by two guards. It was tall, with a staircase in the middle and cells all around. Between each floor, there was a net hanging above their heads. They walked up one flight of stairs and alongside the cells, keeping to the side. Eve couldn’t help but look curiously at the men behind bars. She’d been to prison before, but she never got a chance to visit Wakefield, known for housing the most dangerous sex offenders and murderers in Britain. Ian Huntley, convicted of the murder of two young girls, was one of the criminals who spent some of their sentence there. As soon as the prisoners saw or heard them coming, most of them came closer, reaching their hands out, sticking their tongs, spitting, hissing, laughing and shouting.

‘Cunt!’ ‘Bitch!’ ‘Come closer so I can fuck you!’ ‘Blow me!’ were amongst some of the most distinguishable ones. Eve ignored them completely, but she could see Kenny frowning next to her every time any of the prisoners said anything. Eventually they reached another staircase and went down, coming out to the yard through a set of heavy doors, and then through another to the other building. She could see the visitation room from the distance, with clear windows and vending machines tucked in the corner. She couldn’t yet see Oksana, but she knew she was there and suddenly her heart started to beat faster. She forced herself to conceal a smile right when they reached the door to the room. She peeked inside, seeing only the back of the woman’s head – blonde hair tied messily in a bun, grey hoodie and grey tracksuit bottoms. She saw her picture in the file, but she knew the picture would never be able to show the whole truth hiding behind her crimes.

‘Good luck. Hopefully she’ll be more talkative with you’ the governor said, opening the door for them. Eve went in first, followed by Kenny and one of the guards. Three others were already inside, watching Oksana carefully. She didn’t turn when they walked in, and Eve wondered why. Wasn’t she curious about who would want to visit her? They made their way to the table and Eve stood in front of Oksana, who head her head down, eyes fixed on her hands cuffed to the desk.

‘Oksana, my name is dr Eve Polastri, and this is my assistant, Kenny. Is that okay if we chat to you for a while?’ Eve started, but this didn’t attract her attention. She was sitting completely still, as if she didn’t even acknowledge their presence. Eve looked around the guards, but they didn’t seem to care much. ‘Did anyone tell you I was coming, Oksana?’ she asked, still standing in her place. Another minute had passed, and Eve was still left with no answer. Eventually she waved at Kenny to take out the recorder and she sat opposite of the young woman, trying to see her face, but she was bent over the table so much she couldn’t really see a lot.

‘Ok, Oksana, I’m from Oxford University and…’ she said, when the woman finally raised her head slowly. She could finally see her face – soft and delicate, nothing like you would imagine a serial killer to look like. But then she didn’t have a PhD for believing it was possible to recognise criminals by their looks. There was something in her, however, that just didn’t sit right with her. The piercing green-brown eyes looked her up and down, and Eve could have sworn a shadow of a smile passed through the woman’s face.

‘I’d prefer if you referred to me as Villanelle’ she said in a pleasant voice with a slight Russian accent, tilting her head slightly, and fixing her eyes on Eve in a way that actually made her shiver.


	2. Chapter 2

‘OK, Villanelle. Like I said, I am…’

‘Are you here to help me?’ Villanelle interrupted her, looking straight into Eve’s eyes. Her expression was completely changed from what it was just seconds ago, and she looked almost… scared.

‘I’m innocent, I didn’t kill anyone. Please help me, this is a mistake’ she was pleading now, her Russian accent more prominent in the words she formed, and Eve could see tears forming in her eyes and eventually coming down her cheeks. She grabbed the file Kenny put on the table and opened it, looking through all the data the governor provided her with. Was it possible that someone made a mistake? Could they have arrested the wrong woman?

‘I… I’m not… I mean, I’m not here to help. I’m doing a research about, uh, female criminals. I don’t know… I… Do you want me to try and arrange a lawyer for you?’ Eve stuttered a bit, confused with the confession she just heard from Villanelle. She looked towards the guards, but one of them just shrugged and the other wasn’t even paying any attention.

The next time she looked at her, Oksana’s face was different again. She was smiling mischievously, the tears now drying on her cheeks, her eyes still a bit wet. But there was an undeniable smile stretching on her lips.

‘I’m just fucking with you!’ she exclaimed, bursting out laughing. ‘I’m totally guilty! Killed all those bastards one by one’ Villanelle added with a sense of pride in her voice and on her face, as if murdering those people was her greatest achievement. ‘Your face though! You looked like you just saw a ghost’ Oksana laughed again, and Eve felt another shiver going down her spine. She quickly glanced at Kenny, who looked pale as snow.

‘Can you take him out? I think he needs some fresh air’ she asked one of the guards, and Kenny didn’t even protest. He got up from the chair and followed the guard to the entrance, and out onto the yard. Eve immediately brought her eyes back to Villanelle, considering her for a moment. What was the purpose of the show she just put up?

‘Is he afraid of me?’ Villanelle looked after Kenny, her voice expressing concern that Eve knew to be completely false. She ignored the question, knowing that with every minute her time was running out. She had to get down to business, see if Oksana would cooperate.

‘Oksa… Villanelle, I’m an academic at Oxford University. I’m writing a paper about female serial killers and violent criminals, and your case would be extremely useful to me. I’d like to conduct a series of interviews with you about, well, your crimes’ Eve searched her bag, taking out a pen and a consent form she needed Villanelle to sign.

‘What’s in it for me?’ the woman leaned back somewhat nonchalantly in her chair, tilting her head slightly and observing Eve curiously.

‘Well, I haven’t really… I’m sure we can arrange some perks with governor Steal, as long as I’ll have your full cooperation’ Eve cleared her throat. Something in Villanelle’s behaviour made her nervous. On edge. She looked in her eyes, and she knew this woman was truly dangerous, but she also emanated this unusual type of intelligence that Eve had never seen in anyone else before. Intelligence that made her highly unpredictable.

‘I want new clothes’ Villanelle said without taking her eyes off Eve. ‘And some books, I’m bored here’ she added, and Eve raised her eyebrows.

‘I’ll see what I can do’ she answered, taking a note of Villanelle’s request. ‘Can you sign the consent form, so we can start the interview?’ she slid the form and a pen towards Villanelle, but the woman didn’t even look at it.

‘I won’t sign anything until I get my requests.’ She answered, smiling only with a corner of her lips.

‘But this could take weeks, and I really can’t wait that long I… I really need you to cooperate’ Eve couldn’t believe she was close to begging as serial killer for her help. She knew her research would be good without Villanelle’s participation. But Eve didn’t want to settle for just good. She wanted excellent. Breakthrough. Innovative. Pioneering. And Villanelle could give her all these, if only she agreed. What else did she have to do in prison? She wasn’t allowed to come into contact with other prisoners, the only source of human interaction were the guards escorting her outside to the yard, or to the showers, and bringing her food. God, Eve couldn’t imagine being stuck in men’s prison, eating the prison food, locked in a cement room with only a bed and a toilet.

‘Oops’ Villanelle shrugged.

Eve fought herself really hard, wanting to just scream. She thought it would be easier. She expected Villanelle to be bored enough to accept the opportunity of having someone to talk to without giving it a second thought. But then, you shouldn’t really expect someone who murders 12 people to be just like any other person, do you? And Oksana definitely didn’t seem to fit the normal label.

‘Get me governor Steal, please. I have to talk to him’ she got up from the chair, walking past Villanelle towards the only guard left in the room. She could see the woman smirking, and something told her she knew how Eve would react. Maybe out of all of them Villanelle really was the smartest person in the room.

The guard murmured something into his radio, and couple minutes later Eve noticed Jerry walking towards them. He looked annoyed, but as soon as he saw her looking, he put a smile on his face. She went out to meet him outside of the room.

‘Is she causing any troubles, dr Polastri?’ he asked, his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He clearly meant business and Eve wasn’t sure how much she’d be able to get out of him.

‘She’s asking for some perks, in exchange for participation’ Eve explained, but the look on the man’s face betrayed his answer before he actually said anything.

‘I’m sorry, unfortunately I don’t have the funds to provide anything. And anyway, I don’t think it’s appropriate. She’s a serial killer, for god’s sake. Rewarding her would send the wrong message’ he shook his head, looking above Eve’s shoulder towards the room. She turned around and followed his gaze, finding Villanelle sitting still in the same place she left her.

‘What if… what if I buy everything? Would she be able to receive anything I bring her? She’s asking for different clothes, and books’ Eve hesitated, looking hopefully to the man who considered her for a moment.

‘I don’t know, Eve…’

‘It’s dr Polastri’

‘I’m sorry, dr Polastri. I’m really not sure this is appropriate. You just need to find another way to convince her to participate’ she knew there would be no other way to convince her.

‘Please, governor Steal. This research is really important, it can change the way we perceive crime and criminals. It can make it easier to deal with people like Oksana when they are imprisoned’ the governor sighed, looking at Villanelle and then back at Eve.

‘OK, fine. Everything you bring will be checked by me personally. And no one can know about this. If this gets out, my bosses will get me fired.’

‘My boss doesn’t even know I’m here’ Eve muttered, more to herself than to the governor, but he heard it anyway.

‘I’m sorry?’

‘It’s nothing, thank you so much, governor Steal. I really appreciate your help’ she gave him a quick smile and went back inside.

‘You got yourself a deal. Can you sign this now?’ she fell down on the chair, rubbing her temple with her fingers. She was feeling tired and stressed. The excitement she felt on her way to prison completely evaporated.

Villanelle grabbed the pen and, struggling with her wrists attached to the table, signed the form. Eve looked at the signature written in a neat, curved handwriting, and put it away back into the folder.

‘Perfect, if you don’t mind, we’ll make a start, I’m really running out of time’ she sighed and rested her back on the chair.

‘Actually, I’m feeling quite tired now’ she yawned theatrically, turning back to look at the guard. ‘I’m ready to go back, Jack’ she addressed him by his first name, and the man came up without a word, unlocking the handcuffs from the table, while still keeping Oksana’s hands restricted. ‘I’ll see you next week, Eve’ Villanelle winked at her, and Eve hated that she liked the way she pronounced her name. She watched her walk away, accompanied by two of the guards, when Kenny walked back inside.

‘Are you okay? You look terribly pale’

‘I’m fine. There’s something wrong with her’ she said without looking at him. Her eyes were still fixed on the door, remembering Villanelle winking, and then walking out as if this was a business meeting and she was the big fish, not a prison in which she was kept with multiple murder charges hanging above her head.

‘What do you mean? Did you get anything?’ Kenny started packing back the recorder and files, when Eve placed her hand on top of the folder.

‘I’ll take this.’ She looked at him, putting it in her own bag. ‘And the recorder’ she reached out her hand and Kenny handed her the device. ‘Let’s go.’

* * *

‘She just seemed so… unbothered. Almost bored.’ Eve said, taking a sip of wine from her glass. She was sitting by the kitchen counter, watching her husband cook dinner. She didn’t know exactly what he was making, some traditional Polish dish his mum used to cook when he was a child, but she trusted him with his skills – he was definitely a better cook than her, and on top of that she hated being in the kitchen so she appreciated every time he made dinner. Which was pretty much every night for the past 7 years of their marriage.

‘It was like she was enjoying it. Enjoying… teasing me, making me nervous. Like she could sense whatever I was feeling, and then she just fed on that’ she continued amongst the crackle of oil and the hiss of boiling water.

‘What did she do again?’ Niko asked, putting the food on two plates and taking them to the table. She grabbed the glasses and a bottle of wine and followed him.

‘Killed at least 12 people. All men, mostly high rank businessmen, local politicians. I think one of them was an Italian mafia boss.’ She tried a bite of their dinner and moaned slightly. ‘Oh god, you’ve really outdone yourself today. This is delicious.’ She stuffed her mouth with food and Niko laughed. They felt silent for a moment, enjoying the dinner, until Eve’s plate was completely empty.

‘I just can’t… something doesn’t sit right. If you murdered 12 people, were isolated in a prison, wouldn’t you seem a bit… on edge? Wouldn’t you try to defend yourself? She straight up admitted to killing every man she was accused of killing, with a smile on her face’ Eve was getting a bit agitated again, reliving the whole experience. Now that she wasn’t anywhere near Oksana, she was once again thrilled with the opportunity and couldn’t wait for the next meeting.

‘Not If I was a psychopath’ Niko laughed, but Eve actually froze halfway through bringing the glass of wine to her mouth.

‘Oh my god, could she actually be…’ she gasped, staring at Niko wide-eyed.

‘OK, that was a joke, _kochanie…’_

‘No, god, Niko, you’re a genius! She might actually be a psychopath. Or a sociopath. When we started talking, she put up this show of an innocent girl, asking for help and saying she didn’t do it and she was fucking convincing’ Eve stood up, now pacing around the room. ‘And then it was gone, in a blink of an eye. It’s like she took off this mask, and just laughed’ she stopped to look at her husband, who seemed to be very confused about, well, everything. ‘Do you know what this means? I could make this paper into something bigger. I could get someone from the psychology department to confirm the diagnosis and get them involved. We could extend it, do a deep dive into her mind. There were so many studies done about male psychopath killers. I mean, John Douglas came up with the term based on male murderers. Doesn’t mean they were all psychopaths, but this could be huge, Niko!’ she exclaimed with fire in her eyes. ‘I love you, thank you!’ she came closer and kissed his forehead, planning to head up to the study to write down all her ideas before they manage to flee her mind.

‘Did you clear it with Carolyn?’ he asked, successfully ruining her mood.

‘No, I’ll do it tomorrow. She’ll be fine.’

‘Does she know you went to this prison?’ he carried on, and she realised how much she hated the fact that he was so down to earth. Always sensible and reasonable, even when it came to issues that weren’t really his business.

‘No, Niko. But it’s fine, really. She trusts me with my judgement.’ She said, letting him know that the conversation was now over.

* * *

‘You did what?’ Eve was in her boss’ office, standing sheepishly in front of her desk, being yelled at. ‘Do you know what would happen if anyone found out you went to interview her without putting it through ethics? You would lose your job, I would lose my job, Kenny would probably lose his job as well. And none of us would ever get a job at any university again.’ Carolyn Martens didn’t usually raise her voice when she was angry. She much preferred to keep it quiet. Her tactic was making people feel guilty for what they did through telling them it was all fine and ‘people make mistakes’, as well as ‘I’m not angry, just disappointed’. Eve must have really crossed the line, because Carolyn looked and sounded mad. She fell back onto her chair and brought her hands up to her temple, massaging it slowly without looking at Eve.

‘How important is she for your research?’ she asked eventually, still not looking up.

Eve hesitated for a moment.

‘It could be huge. I… I have a suspicion she might be somewhere on the psychopath or sociopath spectrum, but I would need a psychologist to confirm that. And if she is… We could get Elena, from psych department involved, do a combined study. There’s not much that we know women who murder brutally, and especially ones that are psychopaths and we have one right here’ she watched Carolyn eventually look at her, trying to search her expression for any clues.

‘OK, fine. Send me the ethics form today. Don’t mention to anyone you already went there. I’ll try and speed up the process so you can start from next week. And get Elena on board’ her voice was calm, cold and reserved – exactly what Eve knew and expected from Carolyn, and that change made her feel thousand times better. ‘Do you need anything else?’ Carolyn raised her eyebrows when Eve didn’t leave.

‘I, um… I need some money’ she said eventually, but it came out more like a question.

‘I already gave you the money for your original research, isn’t it enough?’

‘Well, I haven’t included the cost of petrol for travelling back and forth and, um… perks for Oksana’ she almost whispered the last part, avoiding looking straight at Carolyn. The idea of how powerful this woman was sometimes still intimidated her, despite how long they’ve known each other.

‘What perks?’ Carolyn leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

‘Oksana asked for some new clothes and books in exchange for participation and the governor wouldn’t agree to cover the costs himself…’

‘Fine, I’ll look into the budget and let you know how much I can give you’ Carolyn waved her hand dismissively and turned back to her computer, giving Eve a sign that she could leave. She walked to the door with a brief ‘thank you, Carolyn’ and closed the door behind her. As soon as she was out on the hallway, a smile lightened her face.

‘Yes! Fuck yes!’ she threw her fists up in the air and did a little jump, until some passing students threw her a confused look. She composed herself, straightened her jacket and practically skipped all the way to the office, ready to take on this new challenge and present a piece of work that British, or even worldwide, academia has never seen before. 

* * *

Oksana Astankova, or Villanelle, as she liked to call herself, was lying on her bed in a dark cell of the Monster Mansion. She couldn’t really call it a bed though, because the mattress was almost as hard as rock, and looked and smelled as if someone pulled it out of a dumpster. The walls around her were dark grey, with stains, marks and writings all over, reminding her of past prisoners who had spent their days here if they’d misbehaved and were punished with isolation. For her, it seemed to be a permanent solution – she was considered too dangerous to be put in women’s prison, especially that Britain lacked a high security facility strictly for women, and other male prisoners were perceived a danger to her. They should consider her a danger to these men – she knew she could easily take them down if they even tried to get close.

She’d been in prison before, years ago, and it’d been way worse than that. Here they fed her, took her for walks and let her use the showers. In Russia, well, she’d never had any of that.

She stared at the ceiling, her lips stretching into a smile.

‘Eve Polastri’ she whispered, smile widening, eyes brightening in the dark of the cell. She liked saying the name. She liked her dark hair, even though the woman had them tied up in a bun. She didn’t like the man, _boy_ , that was with her, but something told her she wouldn’t be seeing him again. Eve Polastri would be coming next week to talk to her again, and that was something to look forward to. For a brief moment she wondered if that was it for her, if that was her life now. From travels across Europe, luxurious apartments and designer clothes, to sleeping in a cold cell on a hard bed, looking forward to seeing someone for whom she was just a lab rat.

She remembered what she’d been told, years ago when she’d first started. If she ever fucked up, slipped, forgot herself – if he ever got caught – it would be over. She would be on her own. But then she’d always been on her own, not trusting anyone else or not relying on other people, so it didn’t really make much difference. She decided she would trust Eve, partially, just because she could and, really, what did it matter if she was stuck here anyway.

‘Eve Polastri’ she repeated, focusing on every letter in her name, thinking if she was on Eve’s mind as well. And if she wasn’t, Villanelle would make sure soon enough she would be the only thing dr Polastri would be able to think about.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah long time, no see! At some point during the lockdown I completely lost all motivation to write ANYTHING, and when I tried I hated everything I wrote (probably the reason why I never finish long fics is because I have ideas for some key scenes and chapters, but can't stand writing and coming up with whatever happens in between), but because I really like this idea I decided to get back to it! Not 100% happy with it, but I never am and I hope you'll enjoy it anyway :) 
> 
> Also let me know if you recognised a movie reference (and I'm not talking about the silence of the lambs haha)

When Eve walked into the visitation room the next week, Villanelle was already there. Hands cuffed to the table, her back to the door, head bent slightly forward. Just like the first time, Eve took a sit opposite of her, when Villanelle slowly raised her head, looking at her with a focused expression that made Eve’s blood freeze.

‘Hello, Clarice’ she said, her voice deep and heavy.

‘Very funny’ Eve shook her head, taking out the voice recorder and a note pad, accompanied by Villanelle’s laughter. She knew it would take her a while to get used to that sound, just as she was sure she would be hearing it more often.

‘How are you today?’ Eve started, trying to keep it casual, but at the same time remembering the reason she was there. She wasn’t just a visitor and needed to stay focused on getting the right information out of Villanelle.

‘I’m better now’ Villanelle leaned back in her chair, as much as the handcuffs allowed her, and Eve could see the red marks around her wrists.

‘Good, I’m glad. Before we start today’s session – I’m collaborating with a psychology department on this research, and I would like to bring along one of my colleagues for a psychological assessment. Do you think it’s something you’d be willing to undergo?’ the woman looked towards Villanelle hopefully. She knew she didn’t really have to ask for her permission, she could just invite Elena for their next meeting, get her to sit in the corner and observe, but at the same time something was telling her that Villanelle wouldn’t be willing to cooperate if she did that against her will.

‘What about my requests? When will I receive anything?’

‘Tell me what you want exactly, and I’ll try to bring it along next time.’ Eve turned the page ready to note down Villanelle’s requests.

‘Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky’ Eve raised her eyebrows but put the tittle down without saying anything. Maybe classic Russian literature remined Villanelle of her homeland. ‘Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller’ Villanelle continued, and Eve looked up at her clearly surprised. The woman just shrugged, smiling slightly with the corner of her lips. ‘What?’ Villanelle asked innocently ‘It’s a classic.’

‘Fine. Anything else?’

‘Not just a pretty face by Eve Polastri’ Villanelle’s smile widened, and so did Eve’s eyes.

‘How… how do you know about my book?’ she swallowed, putting the pen down.

‘I might be locked in prison, but it doesn’t mean I’m not in touch with the outside world’ she winked and leaned closer, resting her elbows on the desk and looking straight into Eve’s eyes, who instantly felt like the woman was starting right into her soul. ‘I’m so excited to read it. This book gave you your PhD, right? That’s very impressive, Eve’ her voice sounded sweet and polite, but Eve could sense the venom hiding behind each word. She’d known her a week and Villanelle had already managed to show the impressive skill of juggling personalities and identities.

‘Yes, yes it did’ Eve cleared her throat, trying to bring her thoughts back to the very purpose of this meeting, despite the uncomfortable feeling growing around them. Villanelle, or rather the way she carried herself, scared her, but at the same time she was fascinated by this woman, dressed in a modest prison uniform, but showing intelligence and skills exceeding those of many people in the positions of power. If only she used it for something other than gruesome murders…

‘OK, let’s start, shall we? Why don’t you tell me something about yourself? Where are you from, where did you live, who are your parents?’ It wasn’t really an ice-breaker type of question, but Eve thought starting with something fairly easy would start the discussion quite nicely. Unfortunately, Villanelle didn’t seem too keen to talk about her family.

‘Let me tell you about the first person I killed’ the woman said instead, tilting her head slightly and waiting for Eve’s reaction.

‘But…’ Eve wanted to protest, looking at the list of questions she wrote down for herself. Maybe she should have anticipated Villanelle not really complying with what she had planned for her.

‘No, Eve. You might think you’re in charge here, but we both know that without me, your research will most likely be a piece of shit’ Oksana’s voice changed from what it was before. Previously she’d seemed playful, maybe even flirty if someone was into the inapparent innuendos and what probably was a dark sense of humour of a total maniac. But when she spoke now, she emanated power and dominance, and Eve didn’t even think about defying her. Because, at the end of the day, Villanelle was right – her research was nothing without her participation. ‘So, this is how it’s going to be. You come in, sit down, and listen to what I have to say. And make sure you pay attention’ the woman continued, and Eve nodded, this time managing to sit through her staring right into her eyes, realising that she really was dealing with someone incredibly difficult.

‘Ok, so, Giovanni Marchetti, right?’ she searched through her notes quickly to get to the list of people of whose murders Villanelle was accused of. But when she looked up, Villanelle was smiling mischievously, and Eve knew instinctively that she had a whole different story planned.

‘His name was Evgen, and he really was rather annoying. It was one of my sloppiest jobs, if I’m being honest, but I was lacking the skill and all that mattered, really, was that it got done’ she started with a faint smirk on her lips. It seemed kind of dreamy, as if she was telling Eve a fairy tale, and not a story of a murder.

‘Wait, Villanelle, before you carry on’ Eve stopped her leaning closer and bringing her voice down to a whisper. She looked above the woman’s shoulder at the guards, but they seemed to pay little to none attention to them. ‘You’re here because you’re accused of a murder of 12 men that all took place in the last two years. Anything else you say may further incriminate you, and I will be obligated to report it’ Eve explained. Although she knew that everything she said was true, she also expected that it didn’t really make any difference to Villanelle. For what she did, she was looking at a life sentence anyway, and admitting to one or two more crimes wouldn’t make the position she was in any worse. Villanelle seemed to know that as well, because she rolled her eyes before saying anything.

‘Eve, you really have to learn how to listen to people. You won’t get very far otherwise’ she stated, and then continued on with her story.

Eve left the prison full of doubts. The story Villanelle told her, although terrifying in many aspects, of which perhaps the murder she committed at the age of 14 was the least scary, seemed to do very little to support her research question, except for maybe telling her that Villanelle had a certain… inclination to criminal activity since a very young age. She couldn’t deny that the boy, because that’s who the victim was, only slightly older than Villanelle herself, deserved what happened to him. Rape was definitely a gruesome act that deserved to be severely punished and even Eve, with her abolitionist tendencies and a dislike of prisons, couldn’t hide the fact that every time a rape case crossed her news feed, she wished that the men were met with a very similar fate that Villanelle brought on her first victim. There was something scary in desiring to see other people suffer and Eve pushed this thought away, knowing that it will come back at some point, possibly sooner rather than later. She sat in her car and groaned annoyingly, before turning on the engine and heading back home.

When she walked into the house, she was greeted by a delicious smell of food. She couldn’t tell exactly what Niko was preparing, but whatever it would be, she still felt guilty about what she was about to do.

‘I’m home!’ she shouted from the hallway, taking of her jacket and kicking of the shoes. She walked barefoot to the kitchen holding her bag in one hand and gave Niko a short kiss. ‘This smells amazing. Are you fine with eating alone today? I have so much work to get done, today’s interview seemed so pointless I need to try and get anything useful out of it’ she looked at her husband apologetically, knowing that he hated how easy it was for her to get completely devoured by her work and sacrifice their family life for it. Although she never really thought of them as a family in a traditional sense – it was just the two of them, and she never even thought of having kids or settling down the way so many of Niko’s friends had, even though she was fully aware the domestic life was something he longed for.

‘I can’t believe some convict is already stealing my wife from me’ he said, and she couldn’t tell if he meant it as a joke or was completely serious. Maybe a little bit of both. She decided to laugh it off, grabbing a plate and a glass of wine from the kitchen counter.

‘She is not stealing me from you, this research is. It’s really important, Niko, and I need to figure out how to get the right information out of her’ she said, stepping back ready to head up to her office.

‘Fine. Enjoy the meal’ he wasn’t happy, but couple years intp their marriage was enough for him to learn that when it came down to it, her work would always be more important. He’d known that from the day they met, and he still chose to marry her. Maybe hoping he would be able to change her, or that the wedding ring on her finger would suddenly make her give up the career and become a housewife. She wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t the right time to pick up on the tone of his voice or his furrowed brows. Instead she headed upstairs, throwing him a quick ‘I love you’.

Eve put her plate and glass down and unpacked the bag, taking out her notepad, Villanelle’s files and a voice recorder. She transferred the recording to her laptop and hesitated for a second before pressing the play button. On a second thought, she reached to her bag searching for her glasses, noticing a loose piece of paper. She took it out and looked at a note scribbled in a neat handwriting, saying “See you next time x”. She didn’t remember ever coming across it before, and her mind instantly thought of Villanelle. Would she be able to slip the note into her bag? And how would she even write it in the first place? They placed her in the Monster Mansion precisely because of the high security it offered, and it seemed nearly impossible for Villanelle to get hold of paper and a pen, write a note, bring it to the visitation room and then put it in her bag. Unless… she shook her hand and placed the paper on the desk, running her fingertips across the letters. She then pressed play and reached for her plate, immersing herself once again in the interview.

‘We went to school together and he was one of those annoying showoffs, boasting about how he was always able to get whatever he wanted. And one of the things he wanted was our teacher. She actually looked a bit like you, with her dark curly hair. She was nice to me, even though most people weren’t, probably because I came from the orphanage and didn’t talk much, but they were all idiots and we wouldn’t have anything to talk about anyway’ Eve closed her eyes, listening to Villanelles voice, feeling closer to her now than she had back in that room. Her voice went straight to her ears, and it was actually quite intoxicating, with a slight accent to her words. ‘She used to leave me notes after class. They were usually some stupid affirmations, like ‘have a great day’ or ‘good job today!’, but when you’re a child I guess you fall for that stuff’ Eve rapidly opened her eyes, pausing the recording and looking at the note still laying on her desk. She stared at the message written down with what she was now sure was Villanelle’s handwriting and wondered what mess she’d gotten herself into.

Theoretically, Villanelle posed no danger to her as long as she was handcuffed to that table and kept inside the prison at all times. But at the same time, if Eve’s suspicions were true and Villanelle really had some antisocial tendencies, what would hopefully be confirmed next week, she was dangerous even if she wasn’t able to hurt Eve physically. High intelligence and lack of remorse, two things Eve could tell about Villanelle by now even without the specialist diagnosis, could lead to some unwanted consequences.

Eve took a deep breath in, rubbing her palms against her eyes. She could feel the tiredness wash over her, and suddenly all she wanted was to go to sleep. But she had lectures in the morning, a meeting with Elena in the afternoon and she knew Niko wouldn’t be happy if she spent another evening working, instead of having a dinner with him like every “normal” married couple would.

She was about to put the headphones back on to carry on with the interview, despite the anxious feeling she got whenever she thought of hearing Villanelle’s voice again, when her phone rang. She looked at the screen, furrowing at the unknown number, but picked it up anyway.

‘This is a call from Wakefield Prison. If you want to accept the call, press 1.’ Eve hesitated over the screen, thinking about the consequences of accepting the call having a very good idea of who was on the other side. There were questions that emerged with this action – how she got her phone number, how was she able to call her this late, why was Villanelle calling her in the first place. And then there remained the issue of the research – could she include this conversation, whatever it would be? Was she even allowed to communicate with Villanelle outside of their weekly meetings? The automated message repeated itself and Eve pressed one, feeling her heart jump all the way up to her throat.

‘Hello?’ she said, but was met only with silence, disrupted by the sound of someone breathing.

‘Took you long enough’ Villanelle’s voice was deep and almost teasing, and Eve could feel the cold shiver run through her body. She seemed to already have that effect on her – both scaring her with so many question marks floating around her persona and exciting her with what uncovering these secrets might mean for her research.

‘How did you get this number?’ Eve tried to keep calm, but the way Villanelle carried herself – nonchalant, completely unbothered by her crimes, her sentence and being locked in the most dangerous prison in Britain – unnerved her. As an academic, and a social scientist, Eve was driven to understand what events in Villanelle’s life, what social circumstances, had led her to this place. She was desperate to get to know every inch of her personality and her past, and if this meant talking to her over the phone, she was ready to take on that challenge.

‘A magician never gives away her secrets’ Eve obviously couldn’t see her, but she was certain Villanelle smiled to herself. She imagined her standing by the payphones, maybe resting her back against the wall, playing with the phone cord. ‘Did you get my note?’ Villanelle asked after a short pause, and Eve swallowed, her eyes automatically drifting back to the piece of paper.

‘Yes. Is that what your teacher did when you were at school?’ she asked, taking out a note pad and a pen, ready to write down everything that was of use.

‘I didn’t call you to talk about her. Or your research’ Villanelle said slowly, and Eve was about to ask why she called her, but instead the woman offered the explanation herself. ‘I know we only just met, but I need you to understand that if you do anything to annoy me, there will be consequences’ they both fell quiet, with Eve not being sure what to make out of Villanelle’s words. ‘Do you understand?’ Oksana asked eventually, and Eve swallowed, feeling her heart speeding up a bit.

‘What exactly could you do to me from prison, Villanelle?’ Eve tried to stay calm, but despite her logic telling her she had nothing to be afraid of, she was consumed by this unnerving feeling of lingering doom.

‘Don’t underestimate me, Eve Polastri. Who do I look at, when you’re looking at me? Who am I getting to know, when you’re looking for answers to your research? This is just a warning, Eve. I really hope we can stay on the same page’ her voice changed, becoming very matter-of-factly, as if she was discussing a business agreement. Maybe it kind of was, full cooperation in exchange for safety.

‘Is it all?’ she asked, not knowing what else to say. She wanted to hang up and throw her phone out the window. She wanted to scream in frustration, worried that all the energy she’d put into this research so far would go to waste.

‘It is for now. Have a lovely evening, Eve. And say hi to your husband, you wouldn’t want him to get jealous’ once again, Eve could perfectly imagine Villanelle right in this moment, smiling mischievously, winking at her right before she put the phone away and the line went dead. Eve sat at her desk for a moment with her phone still by her hear. When she fully realised what had just happened, she threw her phone into the wall, where it left the mark before falling down on the floor. Couple seconds later she heard the steps and saw Niko’s face peeking into the room.

‘Everything okay?’ he asked, but Eve didn’t even look at him.

‘Yes. I just dropped my phone’ his eyes went to the mark on the wall and her phone laying down on the floor, and he could tell she didn’t just drop it, but she didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he closed the door and let her be, and when Eve got over the shock, she wished he was more persistent, asked more questions and put affectionate notes in her bag every day.


End file.
